Frames, particularly for ladies&#39; handbags



Feb. 19, 1963 H. KIEHL FRAMES, PARTICULARLY FOR LADIES HANDBAGS Fiied Aug. 51, 1959 /NVENTOR-' Attorney United rates arena 3,077,912 FEAR SE5, PARTEC'ULARLY F OR LADIES HANDBAGS Heinrich Kiehl, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 55, Kieinorrotzcnburg, Kreis Oifenbach (Main), Germany Filed Aug. 31, 1959, Ser. No. 837,194 Claims priority, application Germany Sept. 5, 1953 1 Claim. (Cl. 15t}29) The invention relates to a frame particularly for ladies handbags. In contrast to the metal frames with closing means provided separately thereon, and particularly soldered thereto, hitherto commonly used for such purposes, the frame of the present invention is produced with such closing means and receiving means adapted to secure or apply the bag material, from one piece of thermoplastic synthetic material which can be injection-moulded. The use of thermoplastic synthetic materials which can be injection-moulded involves considerable technical advantages which either cannot be achieved at all with metal frames or only at a considerably greater expense.

A particular advantage of the present invention is the fact that the whole frame is unitary, including the groove intended to receive the bag material and the closing means, which closing means may be constructed in any desired form, for example as a snap fastener or clasp.

A further advantage is the appreciable resilience of the whole frame construction which is so great that there is no danger of breakage even under severe stress.

In addition, the frame according to the invention is relatively light in weight.

The connecting hinge for two frames may likewise consist of synthetic material, and may for example, be constructed in the form of a synthetic rivet. The eyes to receive the connecting pins may also be injection-moulded in one operation during the manufacture of the frame.

The use of thermoplastic synthetic substances which can be injection-moulded further renders it possible to give the frames any desired color instead of being re stricted to the usual lacquer coatings on metal frames.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide very diiferent mouldings and decorations on the frame directly, during the injection-moulding operation which, with metal frames, is either impossible or capable of achievement only at a disproportionate expense.

It is further possible to provide the frame with metal decorations of any desired shape incorporated during the injection-moulding of the frame without any significant additional expense being involved.

it is further of particular importance that, with suitable bag materials, it is possible to use a simplified and more permanent means of securing them to the frame, namely by welding. Thus the former method of securing is simplified by folding the bag material along its edges and pressing this fold, with the interposition of a cord, into t e assembly groove in the frame.

A particular advantage of frames having an assembly groove is the fact that the groove can be enlarged at the base so as to improve the joint between the frame and the bag material inserted in the groove. Although it is possible to provide such an undercut groove on metal frames, it involves considerable expense which cannot be justified on such articles.

In the frame according to the invention it is further possible to make the two arms of the groove of different lengths. This affords the possibility of subsequently supporting the bag material on the frame over a certain width. The result is a certain minimum width for the added bag without its being necessary to include suitable inserts of cardboard or the like in the actual bag to achieve a desired bag width.

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Further details of the invention are explained in the examples of embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

FIGURE 1 shows two possibilities of constructing frames with decorations shown on the left without the bag material and on the right with the bag added;

FlGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a modified frame construction in crosssection shown in FIGURE 4 in side elevation;

FIGURE 5 is a further frame construction in crosssection shown in FIGURE 6 in side elevation, and

FIGURE 7 is a modified frame construction in crosssection.

In all the examples, the ends of the frames are provided with eyes and consist of a thermoplastic synthetic substance which can be injection-moulded, for example a cellulose-ester injection-moulding composition sold under the trademark Cellidor.

In the example shown in FIGURE 1, the left side of the frame of synthetic material is provided with a leaflike decoration 1. It is possible, of course, to provide any other type of ornament. There are practically no limits to the three-dimensional shapes which can be obtained with injection moulding. Thus the frames themselves may be of any desired shape including irregularly curved shapes.

In the portion of the frame illustrated on the righ hand side in FEGURE l, a decoration comprising metal balls 2 is provided at the edge of the frame. These metal balls are introduced into the injection mould and combined with the frame during the iniection-moulding. The retaining means between the metal balls and the frame are indicated by retaining feet shown in broken line The clip fastener consisting of two projections 3 and 4 is moulded on. For opening or closing this clip fastener, it is merely necessary to move the overlapping projections past one another, utilizing the resilience of the frame. After these projections clear one another the frame automatically returns to its initial position.

FIGURE 2 shows the assembly grooves in the frame of FIGURE 1, with the open groove on the left and the bag material 5 pressed in on the right typifying the type of securing usual in metal frames. The bag material 5' is folded over at the upper edge and a cord s is in serted in the fold. The bag material is then pressed into the groove.

FIGURE 3 shows a frame construction with an assembly groove by means of which an improved holding action is obtained in comparison with that in FIGURE 2. This groove is widened out to one side at the base '7 and of undercut construction so that the cord insert 6 affording the connection between the frame and the bag material 5 can expand again to its initial volume in the base of the groove after being pressed in, so that the gripping action between tr e bag material and the frame is improved. The widened portion 7 in the base of the groove may also be of a different shape and may, for example, be widened out on both sides. In this example, the sides 8 and 9 of the groove are of different length and may be of any desired cross-section and shape. Here the lower side 9 of the groove is considerably wider than the upper side 8. in this manner, the effect is achieved that the bag material 5 is supported by the lower side 9 of the groove over a desired width. Thus there is a certain minimum width for the bag. pre- Vious frames, a fixed bag width could only be obtained by incorporating supplemental aids such as strips of cardboard and the like. With the sides of the grooves his 3 on the frames of such different lengths, wide bags can be produced in a simple and economical manner.

As a closure, a projection 10 is moulded onto one frame and engages over a saddle 11 moulded on the other. The closed position is indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 3. Such a closure is stable, safe and easily released.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 each frame is open at the bottom and provided with a surface 12 which, when a weldable bag material 5 is used, permits its connection to the frame by welding. This possibility provides a considerable simplification in comparison with the use of metal frames and affords a perfectly permanent connection between the bag material and the frame. As a closure, a clip 13' moulded on one frame engages the other frame which is provided with a suitably rounded surface without any additional means being provided thereon. The closed position of the clip 13 is again indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 5.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 7 corresponds substantially to that illustrated in FIGURE 3. The only difference is that the assembly groove with the widened portion 7 at the base is turned through about 90 and so no longer runs substantially horizontal but substantially vertical.

I claim:

In a purse having a frame comprising two generally U-shaped parts formed from a thermoplastic synthetic material having appreciable resilience, and hingedly interconnected at their ends for opening and closing movement relative to each other, and including a bag having a marginal portion forming the mouth thereof secured to said frame parts, means for firmly securing said marginal mouth portion of said bag in engagement with said frame parts to form a unitary structure therewith comprising an elongated body for reinforcing the edge of said marginal mouth portion of said bag, each of said frame parts having a substantially horizontal slot formed therein extending intermediate the ends thereof, said substantially horizontal slots opening in opposite directions whereby such frame parts are U-shaped in transverse cross section with the bights of the U-shaped parts proximate to one another, each of said slots being relatively deep compared with its width and defined by two generally parallel extending relatively wide walls of appreciable resilience, the lower of said walls being wider than the upper, said slots each terminating in a widened portion forming a continuous channel at the base thereof, said marginal mouth portion of said bag being inserted into the slots in the respective frame parts in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof with said relatively wide walls resiliently engaging the reinforced marginal mouth portion of said bag so as to anchor the latter in the respective channels and the wider of said walls supporting said bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,966,204 Hiering July 10, 1934 2,471,612 Freeman May 31, 1949 2,518,572 Sanders Aug. 15, 1950 2,637,194 Pietri May 5, 1953 2,694,428 Fisher Nov. 16, 1954 2,858,869 Solomon Nov. 4, 1958 

